Inside the jewelry box with Smashbox On The Rocks Luxe Palette

Monday, March 30, 2015

This stunning eyeshadow palette by Smashbox probably caught your eye last winter when it was released with the brand's holiday 2014 collection. On The Rocks Luxe is a large palette containing 28 shades of the Photo Op eyeshadow formula (there is also a smaller, 12-shade On The Rocks palette), housed in an eye-catching cardboard box adorned with holographic jewels. The packaging is one of the most amazing one I've seen for a palette, like, ever. It's very bulky and unnecessarily large, but I could spend hours watching the mesmerizing changing colors of this jewel pattern in the light. It also has a large mirror, and a plastic gem inside among the shadows. The shadows all have names, which are not printed on the palette itself but on a transparent plastic overlay.

It contains a good mix of textures and finishes, with some mattes, shimmers, and more sparkly shades. It is a mostly cool-toned palette with the exception of the group of nude shades on the left side. As expected, it also has a good number of jewel-toned shades and some dark colors for smoky looks.

The overall performance of this palette is very good. The texture and pigmentation levels are good to great depending on the shades and finishes, and I have very little to no fallout during application (with a base of course, but that doesn't stop some shadows from other brands to cause a crazy amount of fallout). There are a few disappointing shades, but only one complete fail. Many felt a bit dry to the touch as I swatched them but applied beautifully with a brush.

The nudes group on the left has some basic shades of beige and browns. The shadows in this section are generally excellent, with several mattes that are silky and buttery although a bit on the powdery side. Midas isn't that great, it feels very dry and stiff and has medium pigmentation. Roast is very sparkly but also very buttery, it's a beautiful rich shade of brown with golden shimmer.

The jewel toned shadows, in the center of the palette + Framboise and Cabernet in the far right, are a little less pigmented. Navy, like all the darker mattes, is powdery and doesn't blend that well, so it requires a lot of work to not appear uneven or patchy. Purple Mist doesn't adhere well to the skin and the sparkles in it don't blend very well. The other purple and lilac shadows work really well together for a all-purple look.

Bottom to top:Snow, Moonlight, Mink, Asteroid, Gypsy, Smoke

The smoky shadows on the right side of the palette were nicely pigmented with high intensity finishes. Snow is a stunning matte white, so soft it feels almost creamy. Moonlight, on the other hand, is the only big fail I was talking about: this sparkly white shade is incredibly weakly pigmented, dry, and has no color payoff at all. Gypsy is a beautiful darkened emerald that needs to be layered to reach its full potential. Here's a little gallery of makeups I did with this palette, featuring a nude look, a purple eye, a green look, and a silver and blue eye.

Shades used:Marzipan, Cream, Midas, Sable, Sumatra

Shades used:Lavender, Lilac, Purple Mist, Royal, Babycakes

Shades used:Cream, Zoom, Gypsy, Moonlight

Shades used:Asteroid, Mink, Navy, Snow, Moonlight

Overall: Smashbox On The Rocks Luxe Palette offers a large variety of shades in a solid formula that can be used to create an infinite combination of intense eye looks in colorful, nude or smoky tones. I would definitely recommend it both to beginners, who'll be able to add a ton of interesting shades in their stash with just one palette, and to experienced makeup addicts who will enjoy the variety of color combinations that this palette has to offer. Where to buy? This palette is currently only available at Macy's where it's on sale for $29 (regular price $42). At this price it's really a steal! The product featured in this review was purchased by Lulle. I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links.

Bonjour!

Lulle, 30-something, I was born and lived most of my life in France. I also spent 5 years in Istanbul, Turkey, and now reside in San Diego, California. I have a cat, Ernesto, a little rascal who traveled with me from one country to another.

Hang out here to discover the best of French beauty brands, latest trends, and reviews of both high end and drugstore cosmetics.